Biggles Gets His Men/plot
Chapter 1: Raymond States the Case Biggles and his Air Police crew are again given a difficult case. A number of eminent Western scientists, experts in atomic and rocket warfare had disappeared. Scotland Yard had inserted a man, under cover, as a scientist and he had also disappeared. Incredibly, five months later, the Scotland Yard agent, codenamed Vernon Victor Vale, had managed to get a message back to HQ. The message was tattooed on the scalp of a Orochin native from Manchuria who had managed to get out of the area to a British embassy. On the tattoo was a map showing what appeared to be a camp at the end of a lake. Biggles must rescue the scientists from this remote location which he knows nothing about. Fortunately, he will be accompanied by Captain Roderick Mayne, a British explorer and probably the only British person to have been there. Chapter 2: Distant Frontiers Mayne had questioned the Orochon messenger and learnt that the scientists were being kept in a work camp. Europeans came and went by aircraft occasionally. Some Mongols provided an armed guard and they enslaved the local Orochon population to provide labour. Mayne knows the ground and speaks the local language and helps Biggles plan the mission. The area is marshy and full of lakes so Biggles decides to take two marine aircraft, a light plane for reconnaissance and a large passenger type to bring the party and the rescuees home. Mayne also suggests that the party dye their skins and dress as Korean traders who travelled through the area. Chapter 3: All Set Mayne and Biggles arrive in a two-seat Birada floatplane. They set up a base camp on an island in lake about 30 miles from their target and await the arrival of Algy and the others. Chapter 4: Danger and Disaster Algy arrives with the others in the Ranger flying boat. Biggles and Ginger go on a photo-reconnaissance flight to try to locate the camp where the kidnapped scientists were being held. They find the lake where the camp was believed to be and do a photo run without incident. But on their way back, they are surprised to be attacked by an unidentified black fighter aircraft. The Birada is defenceless so Biggles orders Ginger to parachute out with the cameras. Ginger gets down safely and watches as the Birada crashes. Chapter 5: A Sight to Remember Biggles manages to get out of the crash unhurt. He meets up with Ginger but decides to stay around the wreck: their attackers might come to look at the plane and he wants to know who they are. From hiding, they watch and see two Korean traders reach the plane and sit down nearby for a meal. But suddenly a group of horsemen arrive led by a large cross-eyed Mongol. The Koreans try to flee but the horsemen assume they are the crew of the plane and capture them and take them away. Chapter 6: Strange Encounters Heading back to base camp, Biggle and Ginger are stalked by tiger in a deserted village. A strange bearded man in a ragged old military uniform appears and confronts the tiger single-handed with a rifle and, after emptying its two shots at the animal, a dagger. Biggles rushes up and fires the killing shot with his pistol. It turns out the man is Colonel Alexis Petroffsky, an exiled Russian cossack who had been Mayne's guide when he had toured the area on his hunting trip. Petroffsky doesn't appreciate Biggles intervening in his tiger kill but softens up when he hears they are British and that Mayne is with them. He tells them the region is ruled by one Prince Ling Soo who dreams of conquering the world and now seems to be getting weapons from some sponsor. Chapter 7: Into the Unknown Leaving Algy to guard the Ranger aircraft, Biggles, Ginger, Bertie and Mayne set off to scout in the probable direction of Ling Soo's camp. They reach the fringe of a forest where they set up an forward base camp. Bertie and Mayne remain behind while Biggles and Ginger move on. They soon hear human voices and see a group of Orochon slave prisoners cutting lignite under the orders of some Mongolian guards. Seizing the opportunity, Biggles and Ginger mingle among the prisoners and march with them into Ling Soo's camp. Chapter 8: The Plot Unfolds In the dark of the night, Biggles and Ginger cut their way out of the prison cage using wire cutters they had concealed in their clothes, Exploring the camp, they come across the headquarters building. To their shock, von Stalhein is there, engaged in an argument with Prince Ling Soo and others. Eavesdropping on the discussion is enlightening. Von Stalhein had been invited to talel charge of security and intelligence for the camp. Ling Soo had the back, not of national governments, but of various people in foreign countries. These backers wanted control over atomic weapons to be developed by the kidnapped scientists. Chapter 9: V - V - V Biggles and Ginger find some huts fenced around with barbed wire which they take to be the prison of the scientists. This is confirmed when they hear a voice speaking in English. By whistling "V, V, V" in morse, Biggles makes contact with Vale. He passes him a file and tells him to cut the bars in the window of his dormitory hut. But the plan is almost knocked awry when shots are heard. It's Petroffsky! He approaches the camp drunk, shooting in the air and calling for Mayne. Chapter 10: The Velvet Glove Von Stalhein treats Petroffsky with a velvet glove. He tells the baffled guards to release him and he plies him with vodka knowing that sooner or later he will say something about Mayne or Biggles. Biggles can't allow this so he surprises von Stalhein in his office and holds him at gunpoint. Chapter 11: Ginger Goes Alone In the meantime, Ginger is responsible for getting the scientists away to safety. He knows he is short of time and can't wait for the bars to be filed through. He had come across a case of vodka on the ground earlier so he decides to try a more desparate method. He retrieves the vodka and brings it in the direction of the guardhouse. Soon the guards all step out of the guardhouse andd converge on the liquor and drink themselves into a stupor. Ginger then into the guardhouse and steals the bunch of keys. He first unlocks the pantry where the prisoners' shoes are kept and then approaches the dormitory. But he becomes suspicious that there is no sound in the dormitory at all. Vale should be filing away at the window bars but isn't. Had something gone wrong? By now most of the guards had gone back into the guardhoue so Ginger goes back and quietly locks them in. He returns to the dormitory. He expects trouble so, with pistol in one hand, he carefully unlocks and opens the domitory door. Chapter 12: Hot Work in Cold Blood As he opens the door and switches on the light, a gun goes off but misses Ginger. Ginger returns fire almost instinctively and kills an elderly looking man. Vale tells him it is Luntz, a stool pigeon whom von Stalhein had inserted among the prisoners. He had revealed himself and stopped Vale and the others from filing the window bars. The prisoners get the shoes on and follow Ginger out of the camp and down the track back towards Bertie and Mayne. Ginger also takes the opportunity to cut the wires of the cage holding the Orochon slaves. The added confusion would be useful. There is a slightly delay because Major Cardwell, an American scientist, has gone off to the workshop. When he comes back, he tells Ginger he has rigged a bomb to go off whenever someone enters the room. That's all fine, Ginger tells him, except that Biggles is still in the camp and might just enter the room himself! Chapter 13: Biggles Plays for Time Biggles sends the drunk Petroffsky off. He then seeks to buy time, holding von Stalhein as a prisoner until Ginger has succeeded in getting the scientists away. This is confirmed when an officer rushes in to tell von Stalhein that the prisoners had escaped. Biggles locks both men in and attempts to get out of the camp. However he had only just reached the perimeter fence when a massive explosion throws him to the ground. When he comes to, he discovers that he has dropped his gun. He tries to get away but is captured by some Mongol guards. Chapter 14: Bertie Takes a Turn Ginger meets up with Bertie and Mayne and tells them what has happened. Bertie decides to go to help Biggles. Ginger would stay behind in reserve while Mayne leads the scientists to Algy and the aircraft. Walking towards the camp, Bertie meets Petroffsky. To Bertie's consternation, Petroffsky insists on coming along to help. They first go back to von Stalhein's office to fetch Petroffsky's rifle. Petroffsky then suggests that they head for the largest house, Prince Ling Soo's headquarters. Through a window, they can see a group of men, including Ling Soo and von Stalhein. Biggles is seated before them and they are discussing his execution. Bertie needs to plan a rescue but before he can get his thoughts together, there are two loud roars as Petroffsky shoots Ling Soo and then shoots out the light. Petroffsky then stations himself by the door, taking potshots at any who runs out. Biggles climbs out through the window and the three of them head back to Ginger. Chapter 15: The Battle of Kossuri Biggles, Bertie and Petroffsky meet up with Ginger and then head for Algy and the aircraft. Along the way, they have to see groups of mounted Mongol guards riding past them apparently in pursuit of somebody. Shortly thereafter, they hear gunfire. Perhaps the horsemen had caught up with Mayne. But the sounds show a sustained two-sided firefight, and Petroffsky can recognise the sound of his own guns. Biggles surmises that Mayne must have sought refuge in Petroffsky's hut in Kossuri. They hurry to help him and arrive in time to attack the Mongols in flank and drive them off. Just outside the village, large numbers of escaped Orochon slaves are waiting and they attack the remaining Mongol guards, completing the job. Petroffsky turns down the offer to leave with Mayne. They say their quick goodbyes with Mayne promising to come back. The party then make their way to Algy and depart in the Ranger. Category:Plot summaries